Australia won over South Africa to win the 3rd and final Test by a 103 runs with just 10 balls left in the match. Graeme Smith, the South African captain, was the last player who got bowled out by Mitchell Johnson, putting an exciting end to a thrilling series that will remain etched in the memories of cricket fans for a long, long time.
The touring team was already leading the series 2-0 but they tried their best to completely whitewash the Australian side. They could not, however, fulfill that dream as they lost some precious wickets quite early in the game. 3 of their openers returning to the pavilion in the morning session alone did nothing to raise their hopes. A further damper was that Jacques Kallis was ousted from the game due to a controversial ruling by the empire when he had scored a mere 4 runs. By tea break with 7 players down for just 193 and no chance of star-batsman Smith coming to bat due to injury, any hope for a draw also started to look most unlikely.
The last pair of Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini put up a good fight for almost one and a half hour providing some ray of hope for the disappointed tourists. They defied the now desperate Australian bowlers for long enough to motivate the injured Smith to get the plaster cut off from his broken finger, don a pair of gloves and walk out onto the pitch amid deafening cheers from fans. Steyn was given a leg-before on a delivery by Andrew McDonald with only 9.5 overs remaining till the end of the match.
The South African captain was "absolutely stunned" by the warm welcome he received from his fans when he appeared before them and started to walk down the steps to the pavilion. However, his hopes of an all-out victory against the world no. 1 ranking team could not be fulfilled as he fell victim to a beautiful leg-cutter by Johnson that bowled him out. Smith deserved all the accolade he received as his pain was evident. He was seen wincing with pain after facing the ball a half dozen times but he stood his ground, giving hope to his team-mates and fans all around the world.
Smith was very modest about his brave front claiming "any one of us would have done the same". He further said that though he would have liked his side to win 2-0 but he was glad his team did not go down without putting up a good fight.
It was never his intention to actually bat, said Smith, but after seeing Dale and Ntini, the captain could not stop himself from walking down to the pitch.
Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting was not unimpressed by Smith's confidence either and he did not waste time congratulating him on his courageous move. He further added that he felt jubilant on winning but losing the series was "not a good feeling and not one we (Aussies) are accustomed to".
In the meanwhile, Smith will be returning to South Africa to receive treatment for his tennis-elbow and to rest his fractured finger and knuckle, allowing them to heal in time to play some more test cricket in the home series at the end of February.
